A seedling's first month decides its whole life. Strong transplants shrug off pests and weather; weak leggy ones limp along for a season. Here is the short version of doing it well in our climate.
The nursery setup
Cell trays, a 60/40 cocopeat-compost mix, and the brightest sheltered spot you have. In summer, morning sun and afternoon shade — black trays in midday Mauritian sun literally cook roots. In winter, full sun all day is welcome.
The three seedling killers here
- 1Damping-off — the humid-climate fungus that fells seedlings at soil level overnight. Prevent it with morning watering, airflow between trays, and clean trays and fresh mix every batch.
- 2Legginess — pale stretched stems from too little light. There is no cure, only prevention: bright light from the day of sowing.
- 3Root-bound plants — seedlings kept too long in tiny cells never fully recover. Transplant at 3–4 true leaves, when the root plug just holds together.
Hardening off — one week that doubles survival
Nursery comfort must be withdrawn gradually. From a week before transplanting, give the trays more direct sun and more wind each day, and water slightly less. This thickens stems and waxes up the leaves for real-world conditions.
Transplanting day
- Choose late afternoon or an overcast day — never a blazing morning.
- Water the trays an hour before so plugs slide out whole.
- Handle seedlings by their leaves, never the stem — a bruised stem is fatal, a torn leaf is nothing.
- Plant tomatoes deeper than they grew, up to their first leaves — the buried stem grows roots.
- Water in immediately, then mulch around (not against) the stems.
The 48-hour rule
A transplant that stands up perky 48 hours after moving has made it. Wilting in the first afternoon is normal; wilting on day three means the roots were damaged or the bed is dry underneath.